As Nigerians are set for another general election next month, lawyers have been tasked to protect the country’s democracy with instruments of law for growth and development.
The call was made by the former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, while delivering this year’s edition of the annual Gani Fawehinmi Lecture in Lagos.
According to her, the Bar must endeavour to hold all election actors, including INEC, the judiciary, security agencies, candidates, political parties and the media to the standards required by the law without fear or favour.
Mrs Kesson-Smith Osei, who was a United Nations International Electoral Commissioner, said commended the Nigerian Bar Association for speaking truth to power, and urged it to be bolder to ensure free, fair and equitable electioneering process in the country.
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The President of the NBA, Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), called on the National Assembly to consider amending the 1999 constitution to pave the way for independent candidacy in the Nigeria electoral process.
While speaking at the 19th Annual Gani Fawehinmi lecture put together by the Ikeja branch of the NBA, Mr. Maikyau charged lawyers to ensure that the forthcoming general elections, are free, fair, and credible.
The learned silk urged his colleagues to work towards improving Nigeria’s democratic process.
The theme of this year’s Fawehinmi Lecture, was “A Free, Fair, and Credible Election: An Indispensable Tool for National Development.”
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Delivering her keynote address, Kesson-Smith Osei said that free, fair and credible election, remained an indispensable tool for national development.
Challenging the Bar, she said that the NBA and its members must go beyond representing disputing parties in court in electoral matters, and rise up to be the true protors of Nigeria’s democracy.
Declaring that Nigeria has got some successes in conducting regular elections, Osei berated a situation of apathy towards elections and where Nigerians are daily being confronted with cases of abduction, which she said, could hamper a smooth electoral process.
“The high level of apathy in Nigerian elections must be of concern to the NBA. One cannot be interested in the development and yet disinterested in who leads the development and the capacity and character of such leaders. The question is: what would Gani have done? Would he have taken an interest in the level of apathy towards a matter as important as elections? If we are apathetic toward elections, can we then be seriously interested in national development and the quality of governance?
In his welcome address, Oluwaseyi Olawunmi, the Ikeja branch chairman of the NBA, said the branch conceived the annual lecture to celebrate the ideals of the late Gani Fawehinmi.
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“Fawehinmi spoke truth to power, he championed the course of the masses, stood for beggars and the less privileged members of the society,” he stressed.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti, and chairman of the occasion, Professor Akin Oyebode, described the late Fawehinmi as a unique individual, who fought against bad governance.
He posited: “Gani had an indomitable spirit that you cannot overrun. Gani succeeded in democratizing the legal profession. He made indelible marks in the practice of the legal profession in Nigeria.”
The professor of law described, as wicked and oppressive, the incivility of the Nigerian security operatives against the late Fawehinmi.
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The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), declared that Fawehinmi stood for democracy and led the battle against military rule in Nigeria.
Onigbanjo said, “He fought against bad governance and never compromised his stand. He fought for freedom until he died.”
The Chief Judge (CJ) of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, who was represented by the Chief Registrar (CR) of the High Court of Lagos State, Tajudeen Elias, argued that Fawehinmi was a dogged fighter for human rights with a further position that the late legal icon was committed to the development of law in the country.
The CJ enjoined legal practitioners to emulate the legacies of the late Fawehinmi. Alogba said as elections draw closer, the judiciary will remain committed to the conduct of a free, fair, and credible election in the country.
